Weinstein Cruises In 9,999 Meter Run

November 11, 1990|By Tim Hipps of The Sentinel Staff

Ena Weinstein has been using Central Florida's Track Shack Grand Prix Series as an excuse to get out of Miami in recent weeks, and her three road trips have paid off with a pair of victories and a runner-up finish.

Weinstein, 31, of North Miami, led the way again Saturday in the women's division of the 9,999 Meter Challenge Run around downtown Orlando, completing the 10K in 35 minutes, 49 seconds.

Series leader Claudia Kasen was second among the women in 37:19, and was followed by St. Augustine's Tawny Kern (37:47), Cocoa's Delight Abreu (38:16) and Titusville's Cathy Dowling (38:39).

Orlando's Ed Juba controlled the men's race, cruising to victory against a field of 920 in 30:51. Juba was followed by roommate Chris Daniels (31:20), Mark Kathman (31:28), Brian Jaeger (32:01) and David Smith (32:08).

Jaeger, the defending series champion, is recovering from a strained calf muscle and was no match for Juba.

Daniels, who currently leads the series with 300 points, lowered his personal best by 1 second but couldn't match Juba's stride against the wind in the end.

''When it started getting windy (just beyond the 3-mile mark) it seemed like Ed kept gaining on me,'' Daniels said. ''First, it was three steps or so, then it was much more. Since I'm thinner and a lot lighter than him, the wind tends to affect me more.''

Jaeger, Kathman and John Kotyk were there, too, but they also were blown away by the wind - of Juba.

''I got the impression they thought I was making a move, but I really wasn't,'' Juba said. ''I felt them falling back a few steps, and I knew once we got split up and into the winds they were in trouble.

''I'm happy just to win, let alone comfortably.''

Weinstein was happy just being here.

She previously had finished second to Mary Level-Menton in the series-opening Threshold Run for the Kids at the University of Central Florida, bypassed the Florida Highway Patrol 5K at Heathrow and won the Dick Batchelor Run for the Children at Lake Eola Park.

''This is the first time I've ever traveled anywhere to run a series like this,'' said Weinstein, who has been making the 4-hour drive on Friday nights with husband Mitch and 2 1/2-year-old daughter Hannah Lee. ''I come to Orlando for two reasons: one, to run the races, and two, to get out of Miami.''

Weinstein was a member of Peru's 1984 Women's Olympic Marathon Team - she finished 25th in the Games - and she is training for next month's South American Championships in Lima, Peru, where she hopes to qualify for the Pan American Games.

Weinstein ran her first marathon in 1981, an 18th-place finish in the New York City Marathon. Her best showing was a 10th place at Boston in 1987. Her last was good for fifth place in the '87 Pan Am Games at Indianapolis - when she was six months pregnant.

Now a full-time mother and student studying exercise physiology at Florida International University, Weinstein plans to graduate in the spring and begin training full time, with her sights set on Barcelona, Spain, for the 1992 Olympics.

Another 200 runners participated in the 2-mile fun run/walk, which was won by Orlando's Stefan Richter in 10:37. Donna Poole led the women in 12:07.